Some of the players did not have all their paperwork cleared for eligibility to compete in a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) match.,Emerson’s women’s lacrosse team used a short-handed lineup to bounce back from its first loss of the season, running away with a 10-4 home win against Thomas College last Saturday afternoon.

Some of the players did not have all their paperwork cleared for eligibility to compete in a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) match. Therefore, the Lions had only 10 players on the field at all times, while the three players not eligible to play sat on the bench the entire contest. Maine team’s competed with a full 12.

Emerson Head Coach MaryEllen Sullivan explained how this affected her players.

“They were a little hesitant, knowing they were going to be down,” she said. “But they definitely stepped on that field and became a unit.”

It took less than a minute for junior Audrey Barr to give Emerson its first goal off a free position shot.

Thomas College reacted by stepping up its defense and putting in an early goal of its own, with about three-and-a-half minutes into the contest.

The first half was full of whistles, but on this near-freezing day the Lions were able to develop rhythm in the offense, getting several shot attempts before senior Lauren DeLong, former Beacon sports editor, connected on one with 8:36 already clocked in the game.

Emerson didn’t score again until one second before the 15-minute mark, when Barr scored the second of her four goals unassisted after returning to the game from a three-minute penalty she had begun serving with 19:02 remaining. Barr said she took a shot which hit a defender in the head and was called for a dangerous shot.

It might have been a bad call, because Barr said one of the officials told her she shouldn’t have to leave the game.

“One ref said I should get a penalty shot because [the defender] was in the way,” Barr said.

Just two-and-a-half minutes later, the Terriers’ goalie stopped a shot attempt, and her team ran down for its second goal, thrown in by Tiffany Malinowski, with an assist by Raena Tripp.

For the remainder of the half it was all Emerson; Barr and sophomores Kristi Walles and Kady Hall each put a goal in for the Lions, all within two minutes of one another, to put the team up 7-2, with just four minutes to go in the half.

A several fans shouted her name, Walles threw in another unassisted shot, with 3:17 to go, completing the scoring for the first half.

Sullivan said the Lions started to settle in the second half, slowing down the pace of the game. She said she was also pleased with the defensive play of her team, particularly its consistency in stopping the Terriers’ cutting attackers.

Sullivan noted her satisfaction with the play of all three of the captains: Delong, junior Keri Angus, who scored a goal in the second half, and Walles, who said she was named captain just minutes before the game began.

The team voted via e-mail and the numbers were tallied before the contest. Walles said she is still in disbelief that she was voted on by her peers.

“It still hasn’t really sunk in,” Walles said. “It’s just pretty cool.”

Walles, who had three goals, added that the Lions will likely be getting more players soon, and that she and her teammates have been “kind of canvassing” to get people to come play lacrosse.

Sullivan said Emerson controlled the game because they were able to “work out our kinks” after the loss to Roger Williams.

She also praised the on-her-toes goalkeeping of sophomore Maggie Vadnais, who played attack for the Lions last year.

Vadnais had just three saves on the game, but Sullivan said she was an active presence that kept the Lions’ defense alert.